Decade 193: Alteration
by Jemu Nekketsu
Summary: Ichirou Oogami is finally being hunted down like the dog that he is. Can he survive the wrath of two Kagekidans? Links to Episode 9 of my SpaceBar series. Please R&R!


Decade 193: Alteration  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sakura Taisen. That's SEGA's job. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfics.   
  
When faced with superior numbers, the intelligent warrior runs. Ichiro Oogami was no one's idiot. He may be stupid, dim-witted and dense, but no one can fault his intelligence. He wouldn't be in the Navy in the first place. Then again, getting into his current situation right now would indeed cast doubt on a person's mental faculties. For example, no one in their right minds would anger a platoon of armored fighters, never mind that he had some equivalent armor of his own. As it is, he's now running, outnumbered, and outgunned.  
"I should have gotten out of the Navy when I had the chance. The food sucks, the water isn't much too look at, and neither are the women. I should have just let the ship's ammo hold explode," he said to no one in particular.  
The road in front of him exploded, causing debris to splatter against his Koubu and for a dust cloud to form. "Dust cloud, that could be useful," he thought. "Come on, fella, let's change games from Tag-You're-Dead to Hide and Seek and Destroy." Urging his unit forward, Oogami vanished from view.  
  
"Next time, Kohran, aim for his back, and not his legs," Maria reprimanded her teammate. "Anybody know where he is now?"  
"I'll go!" Iris replied. The yellow Koubu glowed, disappeared, and reappeared later on a nearby rooftop. "I see him! He's headed for the harbor!"  
"How sure are we of that?" Reni asked.  
"With Iris, who knows? Then again, after I gave that Koubu of his a nice, radioactive silver paint job, he should be pretty hard to miss," Kohran replied.  
"The harbor, eh? Kvassry to Medusa, come in, Medusa?"  
"If I hear a peep from anyone of you three, I'll skewer you with this naginata. Go ahead, Maria," came Sumire's voice over their communications.  
"The pervert is headed for the harbor. It should be pretty empty by now. Head over there and conceal yourselves. We'll herd him there."  
"Waiting in the wings, huh? We'll be there, but don't expect any leftovers."  
"Hey, all this running around has made me hungry. Anyone for some -" Kanna never finished her sentence.  
"Not now, you walking bottomless pit. We're on a mission, hello?"  
Orihime sighed. "All this, just for some stupid Japanese man. Hey, Cherry, you seem a little too quiet over there. Having second thoughts?"  
"No, I'm not." The truth was, she wasn't feeling all to sure about this. True, she didn't want Oogami to escape his just punishment, but - she quickly pushed the thought aside. "Resolve," she told herself. "I must do this. I can, and I will." To the others, she said "Let's just get this thing over with."  
  
The harbor was an excellent place to hide out. The huge warehouses would conceal him, but if they were locked the shadows they cast were just fine. Oogami sighed. "They hate me, and I can't say I blame them. It was bad enough that they felt I was leading all of them on, but after that party with us trying out the results of Kohran's automated wine-maker and getting blasted..." The Koubu let out a jet of steam, which to Oogami's ears sounded like an amused snort. Talking to your Koubu supposedly helped, according to Kohran. "I won't bore you with details, pal. I just hope that when I return here someday, after hiding out until they all forgot about it, of course, I don't have a total stranger corner me in an alley and beat me half-dead, then leave me with these parting words: 'Die, father.'"   
The half-moon was lighting the harbor enough that Oogami had no trouble finding a conveniently open warehouse. "Finally, my first break. Looks like we could take a breather from those crazy women, Koubu." He set the controls at minimum power and reaction time. They were supposed to be resting, after all.  
Then it happened. One second he was clsoing his eyes, taking deep breaths, the next he was thrown against the controls. Rather violently, it seemed. "A trap? And I just walked, no, I sat my bum right in the middle of it!"  
  
"Got him!"  
"Good work, Kanna, now get out of the way so we can get at him too," Orihime ordered. "I'll shoot first, then you two can move in. That way, I don't have to worry about shooting you in your backs."  
"Why, Orihime, I didn't know you cared," was Sumire's sarcastic reply.  
"I care about my image. Much as I'd like to have Oogami all to myself, I figured you're the one who's more 'stab-in-the-back.'"  
"Why you! I'll get you for that later!"  
  
Oogami felt the rush of air, and knew that someone had hit him again. "Orihime, then. And Kanna, Sumire, and Sakura as well." He knew diplomacy wasn't too viable an option now, but never let it be said that he didn't try everything possible. "Um, I guess you girls wouldn't think of stopping and talking this over, right?"  
"You had, your chance, Oogami-san. Your choice was to run away, rather than face us. I'm sorry it had to come to this," Sakura replied, "but this must be done."  
"This looks bad," Oogami thought. "Sumire, Sakura, and Kanna are much more powerful than me, and Orihime would just as soon as blast me to oblivion than let me breathe. Much as I hate to do this, there is no other way." He brought out his weapons, a pair of swords, one in each hand. "I have to tell you, I really don't do group encounters."  
"That's funny, we could have sworn you knew all about groups during your last performance," Sumire said. "It's curtains for you now, Taichou." She charged, Sakura and Kanna following suit. Orihime meanwhile fell back and tried to get a clear shot, moving around and looking for the best location. Oogami met the three head-on, blocking the sword and polearm that tried to hit him and avoiding Kanna's punch with some fancy footwork.  
Clearing the melee, he spun and threw his left sword at Orihime, who ducked behind some crates. Which was what he was expecting, and which he took advantage of by heading out as fast as his Koubu could carry him. "No more Mr. Nice Jerk, girls. If you're really after me, I won't go easy on you." This Ichiro swore, as he sped toward the pier - and into a hail of bullets. "What the-?"  
"Give it up, Taichou. We have you surrounded. Don't make it any harder for yourself."  
"That's not you, is it, Maria? As soon as I step out of my Koubu," his eye noticed something on the screens, "as soon as I'm out, you'd either shoot my fool head off or sic those children at me. Sorry, but no deal."  
  
'Crap', Ichiro thought, 'missiles and blades, I can handle' as he dodged around, trying not to let the eight surround him, 'but telekinesis? I might as well give up, but then, that was the old Ichiro Oogami. Not this one. Besides, that ship seems to be closing in rather quickly. If I could get on it - well, first we have to escape this circle they're forming.' "Outta my way, ladies. Coming through!!" Not expecting his charge toward them, Maria and Kohran leapt to the side, leaving Reni and Iris to fend for themselves. "You may be stronger than me, kid, but I have something you don't have right now!" Ichiro said to Reni.  
"What, experience?" Reni asked, raising his lance to defend her teammate behind her. Ichiro reached for the haft and pressed on his charge. "No, MOMENTUM!" Later, he might feel guilty, even ashamed of himself for using Reni as battering ram and shield, but not now. He sent Reni's Koubu sprawling into Iris', and with a wild cry he leapt for the ship's prow. He landed perfectly, almost like he did this sort of thing on a regular basis. Which he did not. 'Wow, I amaze myself,' Ichiro thought.  
  
"Hold your fire!" Maria cried out. "No civilians must be hurt!"  
"But what if they're not civilians? What if they're-"  
"Sumire! Use your head! The ship has the markings of a French, possibly a German, shipping company!"  
"Don't give me orders, you Italian witch!"  
"What did you just call me?"  
  
Ichiro made his way from the prow. He had no intention of providing his back for target practice. 'A fishing vessel? What's a fishing vessel doing this far from home turf?'  
  
"He's moving toward us, everyone."  
"Can he see us? Our Koubu, I mean."  
"He will, now. Iyaaaaaahhhhh!"  
"GLYCINE!"  
"Well, hell, might as well join in. Oogami! You will pay!"  
  
Ichiro watched as a Koubu leapt from the hold, followed by four more. His eyes took the important details in, even as he stepped back: axe, bow, cross, claws, cannons. "Not you!"  
"Oh, yes, me, darling," Glycine's voice made the endearment sound like a curse. "Did you miss us?" She took another swing with her great-axe, which Ichiro parried. The force of it sent him flying port side, almost sending him over the railing. He barely managed to dodge the stream of bullets coming from the winged Koubu's cross. "Oh, Ichiro, I have not forgotten you as well, but then, what you did to us before you left Paris was quite unforgettable, yes?" Erica's voice bordered on the hysteric, possibly even the lunatic. "Don't run, please."  
"Lady, I'd be a fool not to. I'm already a cruel, cold, heart-stealing, heart breaking jerk. I don't intend to add stupid to my list of achievements." Still, engaging them with only one sword - say, where did Hanabi, Lobelia, and Coquelicot go? He cried out as his Koubu was thrown up into the air from the explosions of several cat missiles, then again as an arrow sent him down into the pier. He looked up just in time to see a huge figure with claws outstretched, silhouetted against the moon, leap from the ship toward him. To his surprise, instead of coming down on him like a ton of bricks, it sailed over him, landing with a loud crash. This brought the other four onto the prow of the vessel, weapons still raised. Reacting to this perceived threat, the members of the Teigeki spun to face the intruders, keeping an eye on their quarry and the intruders.  
If a pin dropped to the pavement, he would have heard it. Ichiro was waiting for the angelic chorus to start, so he could watch his life's memories fly by and not get bored. A golden light show would be nice too. He laughed out loud. "Here I am, about to be torn or blasted to shreds by some of the most beautiful women on the planet, and I'm thinking of spotlights. I really must be insane."  
  
"Welcome to Japan, gaijin. Identify yourselves or we will be forced to destroy you," Maria called out.  
"Huh, is that any way to greet your sister team from France? I assume that you're the Imperial Floral Assault Squadron, or something, right? No, don't bother answering, the pink one's sword and the purple one's spear says it all," Lobelia replied. She had gotten her Koubu up on its feet again. Her claws, however, she did not retract.  
"We are here for a little internal affairs correction. So if, you'll kindly get out of the way, we can get this over with and have a little party with you, if you like," said Sumire.  
"What a surprise. We're here also for affairs most... intimate, you may say," came Hanabi's voice.  
"Oh dear, you too as well?" Sakura asked, mortified.  
"AS WELL?! Do you mean to say that, that -" For once, the usually loud and brash Glycine Bleumer was at a loss for words.  
"Stupid, perverted Japanese man couldn't keep his pants up to save himself at home, what did we expect when he went for an overseas trip?" Orihime asked.  
"I think Ichiro-nii-chan should be punished severely. Don't you think so as well?" Coquelicot asked everyone.   
'This is it, then,' Ichiro thought. 'How I wished I could have lived diferently, acted differently, but I am only human, and a man at that. If I could turn back time-'  
"We seem to have the same goals, then," Kanna remarked. "Question is, who gets him, you guys or us?"  
"Us fighting over who gets to punish him would be his last laugh, I think. No, fighting over him - haven't we done that among our own friends already? There must be another way," Erica said.  
"Yeah, listen to the Sister. She would have been one, if he didn't happen," Lobelia joked mirthlessly.  
"Do we really have to kill him?" Iris asked.  
All the other Koubu turned to face her. Except for Ichiro's who wisely chose not to move even the smallest joint. "Thank the gods that may be for the children," Ichiro whispered. "Now, if it isn't too much of a burden to ask for a small miracle for me to get out of here, I'd... I'd sell my... soul, no, not just my soul, but all of me just to get out of this mess." As soon as he said that, Ichiro thought he heard demonic laughter in the distance, but he wasn't sure. What he was sure of was his spirit radar showing something huge coming down on them. From the sky. And if he was never sure of anything in his life, he was sure that this one would crush him to a smear if he didn't get out of its way. With a last surge of power toward the Ryoshi crystal that was the heart and soul of the Koubu, he sent Lobelia and the others around him flying away, and threw himself to the side just a few seconds before it hit the ground.  
And hit the ground, it did, with a huge crash that could be heard in China. A large metal container, slightly larger than a train car, partly buried itself in the pavement and raised a cloud of dirt and smoke so thick, everyone was unable to see anything any further than two meters infront of them. A second explosion cleared the dust and sent the nearby Koubu flying, including Ichiro's. He felt his Koubu crashing into a warehouse, and he couldn't take it anymore; he passed out.  
Outside, the dust and smoke and container were gone. In its place was something huge and mechanical, it seemed. The Teigeki and PariKagekidan weren't actually sure. After all, their Koubu were mechanical, but they were sometimes supernatural too. And that wasn't saying anything about the enemies each team had faced.  
"What is that thing?" Kanna asked.  
"Whatever it is, it sure is big," Coquelicot said. Another loud crash caught their attention, and they turned to look at the source. "Hey, wasn't Ichiro-san in that warehouse?"  
"Was being the operative term," Orihime replied, as she and the others stared at the collapsed building. The thing chose that moment to face the fallen structure, drawing both Kagekidan's attention. It was bigger than any of the Koubu, the Eisenkleid, and the Koubu F2s. It was built like a tank with legs, and the same color, too. A three-barreled cannon , flanked by two more guns, was attached to its 'waist'. Its left arm ended in a three-clawed hand, while the right arm was nonexistent from the elbow onward. In its place was a lance of sorts, which look liked something a Koubu built for mining might use. And perched on its 'shoulders', which rose and fell in a manner eerily similar to that of human breathing, were a couple of boxes with holes in the side facing front, which Kohran theorized as possible missile weapon ports.  
"What's it doing, Kohran?" Sumire asked.   
"Don't move, everyone. For the moment, it seems to be focused on Oogami. See where it's facing?"  
The giant seemed to have made its decision. It took one step, then two, then three steps forward. Its intent was clear to all the women and children in the harbor. Whatever it was, it was also after Oogami. And unlike the others after him, this one didn't look like it could be talked to. Or could it?  
"Alright, who's going to try and 'talk' to that thing?" Orihime asked.  
"I nominate Sakura!" Sumire piped up.  
"Hey! Why me?"  
"Yeah! I nominate Erica nee-chan!" Coquelicot chimed in.  
A shot rang out. Everyone turned to look at Maria, whose arm cannon was still smoking. "Oops. My finger slipped, I guess."   
"Forget about talking to it, it's nearly on top of him! Are we going to let it get him instead of us?" Lobelia asked furiously. With a keening battlecry, she and Glycine rushed at the giant's back, followed by Sakura, Kanna, and Sumire, as Erica, Kohran, Hanabi, Maria, Coquelicot, and Orihime opened fire on the thing. Reni, wanting to close in but not wanting to get caught by friendly fire, was soon flying through the air and onto the monstrosity thanks to Iris.   
Far from being harmless, the monster raised its right arm and sent Reni plummeting to the ground with a blast of energy. As a result, the ranged attackers all scored direct hits on its center torso, the hits causing it to stagger and unable to defend itself against the Koubu swarming around its legs and hacking bits of its armor away.  
"Metal?" Sakura asked. "Not flesh?" She swung at the thing's legs again, taking more armor apart.  
"Could be. Maybe we're just too damn pissed off, and our Koubu are picking it up and reacting to our anger. Who knows?" Lobelia replied. Her claws struck sparks as they peeled ribbons off of the thing's shins.  
"Kohran probably does. She knows a lot about our Koubu."  
"Die, already! Why does it not fall?"  
"Take it easy, Glycine. Nothing really important is gotten very easily."  
"Gee, thanks, Sister Erica."  
"Everyone, fall back! It's about to blow up everything around it again!" Iris called out. Sumire, Sakura, and Kanna acknowledged and did as the girl said, leaving the two Parisians locked in close combat with the enemy. Sure enough, the enemy planted its lance into the ground and sent Glycine and Lobelia flying into the retreating Koubu. Seeing this, their allies continued their barrage with a vengeance, which the enemy returned. Missiles flew from the mounts on its shoulders, proving Kohran right, and from across its top as well. The latter straight up, then fell with inhuman accuracy onto their targets. Only a last-ditch burst of psychic power form Iris prevented them all from being wiped out.   
Heavily damaged, but still mobile, the giant made its way toward the place where Oogami's Koubu was buried. Another explosion from its right arm sent debris flying, exposing Oogami's Koubu. Without a backward look at its opponents, it reached for the Koubu, its left hand closing around its torso. Then it turned toward the women, and as if to flaunt its prize, raised its left arm high into the air. To the horror of Iris and the long-range Kagekidan fighters, a blue circle of energy appeared, which vanished when the monstrosity, still clutching the Koubu, walked into it. Leaving nothing but a ruined harbor and devastated women behind it.  
  
When Ichiro woke up, he was on a soft bed, covered with a clean sheet. His clothes were folded neatly on a nearby chair, and he was wearing a gown of some kind. He concluded he was in a hospital, and wondered if somebody had cleaned his underwear as well. He turned red at the thought.  
The door opened, and in walked two men. None of them looked like doctors to him. One was in a red cloak, with black boots, moss green pants and a gold-colored shirt. The other one was dressed normally, in Western fashion: a shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, dark pants, black leather shoes, and a vest.  
"Where am I?" Ichiro asked. He remembered praying for a miracle, then flying into a warehouse, and... nothing more after that. He must have fallen unconsious, then.  
"Where no one but the most tenacious will find you, Mr. Ichiro Oogami," said the man dressed in striking colors. "Where time and space are meaningless, where dreams and nightmares happen with equal probability and rarity." He turned to his companion, who stepped closer to his bed before speaking.  
"Welcome to the SpaceBar, Mr. Oogami. We've been expecting you."  
  
IL FINITO? 


End file.
